More worthwhile airways: that is how low-cost airways lead the restoration | EUROtoday

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Low-cost airways dominate European visitors, strengthening the supremacy they already held earlier than the pandemic, leaving the intercontinental markets, essentially the most worthwhile ones, to the main corporations. If within the Old Continent greater than half of the flights (54%) fly the low price flag, the phenomenon is much more pronounced in Italy the place three out of 4 flights (73%) are carried out by “no frills” carriers.

More stable, extra aggressive and above all aggressive: Ryanair, easyJet, Wizz Air have emerged strengthened from the pandemic each by way of turnover and income and above all by way of seat capability supplied with development above the degrees reached in 2019. Even giant carriers resembling Lufthansa, Air France-KLM and IAG (British Airways and Iberia) have recovered floor, however extra slowly weighed down by money owed collected through the disaster. «Emerging from the pandemic disaster that had left hundreds of planes grounded for months was not a given – explains the creator of the report Michele Mauri, managing director of the consultancy agency AlixPartners -. There are two drivers of this success: the primary is definitely the growth in post-Covid demand with passengers who’ve demonstrated how air journey has turn out to be a vital good, even in a state of affairs of financial uncertainty. Added to that is the rise in ticket costs which in some instances reached 50% greater than pre-pandemic charges.”

More profitable carriers

Almost all vectors in the sample (see table on page) recorded between January and December 2023 an operating profit before tax (EBIT) higher than pre-pandemic levels with peaks like Ryanair at 21% compared to 11% in 2019. The exception is Wizz Air which last year achieved an Ebit of zero compared to 16.5% in 2019. The good health of the sector is also shown by the growth in turnover if we exclude Lufthansa which confirmed its 2019 turnover in 2023.

More capacity offered in Italy

For the companies, the challenge was to increase the capacity of seats offered by intercepting the boom in demand that emerged after the pandemic: if calculated in terms of ASK (Available seat kilometres), i.e. the seats scheduled multiplied by the kilometres, in 2023 in Europe the capacity offered was equal to 96% compared to 2019, only in 2024 is the pre-crisis level expected to be exceeded with an index estimated at 103% when considering the flights already available and bookable until December. If in 2023 Germany and France recorded capacity levels even lower than 2019, on the contrary Italy was able to benefit from greater growth (101% compared to 2019), second only to Spain and it is estimated that in 2024 it will reach 110%. A recovery due above all to the growth of low cost airlines since Ita Airways in 2023 decided to maintain its offer at 36% compared to 2019. Airports are also growing for both domestic and international flights with Milan experiencing strong growth for intra-European flights and Rome for intercontinental ones.

Low cost companies are leading the recovery

The nice restoration in Europe is led by low price corporations, particularly by Ryanair and Wizz Air with development charges in capability supplied of 21% and 71% respectively in 2023 in comparison with 2019, a development which is estimated to be confirmed additionally in 2024 on the identical tempo as 38% in comparison with 2019 for the Irish low price service and 94% for the Hungarian service. EasyJet, which in 2023 was consistent with pre-Covid ranges, is anticipated to develop by 16% in 2014, once more based on AlixPartners calculations primarily based on scheduled flights. Among the main corporations, IAG is the one service that has managed to shift into gear, with a proposal rising by 9% in 2024 in comparison with 2019, whereas Lufthansa will not be anticipated to succeed in pre-pandemic ranges in 2024 (-8% ). Same development for Air France-KLM nonetheless under 2019 by 6% in 2024.